Chapter 4: The Name Behind the Deal
For several seconds, nobody in the courtyard spoke.
Darius Cole stood rigidly beside Nia, his eyes fixed on Marcus's black folder. The confidence he had displayed moments earlier had vanished, replaced by an uneasiness he was struggling to conceal.
Marcus noticed every bit of it.
"Before I sign anything else," Marcus repeated, "what exactly am I supposed to hear?""
Darius glanced at the students surrounding them. Some had lowered their phones, but most were still recording. The graduation ceremony had ended less than an hour earlier, and the courtyard was quickly becoming the scene of a confrontation nobody wanted to miss.
"Not here," Darius muttered.
"You had no problem talking here when you thought I was a joke.""
"That's not what I meant.""
"Then tell me what you meant.""
Darius's jaw tightened. He looked toward Nia, silently asking for help.
She stared back at him.
"Darius, you need to explain yourself," she said.
He rubbed his forehead.
"My family has investments in several technology companies. That's all.""
Marcus waited.
"And?""
"And one of those companies has been looking into acquiring smaller software businesses.""
"Including mine?""
Darius hesitated.
That hesitation was enough to change the atmosphere around them.
Marcus opened his folder again and removed a printed email from his attorney. He had read it so many times during the past three days that he could practically recite every sentence.
The email had arrived on Thursday morning. A private investment firm called Cole Meridian Capital had requested preliminary information about Reed Digital Solutions, including its ownership structure, intellectual property rights, revenue projections, and any outstanding financial obligations.
The request itself wasn't unusual. Investors researched companies before making offers.
What bothered Marcus was the name attached to the inquiry.
Darius Cole.
He held out the page.
"Your name is on the inquiry.""
Darius looked at the document but didn't take it.
"My name is on a lot of things my family's involved in.""
"Did you request information about my company?""
"I might have asked some questions.""
"Why?""
"Because it's business.""
Marcus let out a humorless laugh.
"Business. That's convenient.""
Nia reached for the page.
"Let me see that.""
Marcus handed it to her.
She scanned the first few lines, her eyebrows drawing together as she recognized the investment firm's name.
"Darius, you told me your family was considering a technology investment, but you never mentioned Marcus's company.""
"Because I didn't know Marcus was involved with the same network.""
Marcus watched him carefully.
"You're telling me you didn't know who I was?""
Darius's eyes flickered.
"I knew you had a little software business.""
"Then you knew exactly who I was.""
"Don't put words in my mouth.""
Marcus stepped closer.
"You came to my apartment last year. You saw the prototype on my desk. You asked me whether I was building some kind of legal document platform. You even joked that nobody would pay real money for something a college student made in his bedroom.""
Darius's face darkened.
"I don't remember the conversation.""
"I do.""
Marcus remembered it vividly. Darius had attended a party hosted by one of Nia's classmates. He had spent most of the evening talking about his family's wealth, his connections, and the impressive people he knew in New York.
When he noticed Marcus working on a laptop, he had laughed at the unfinished interface.
Now that same unfinished idea had become a business attracting serious investors.
Marcus folded his arms.
"Did you approach my company because you believed in the product, or because you saw an opportunity to get close to something you thought belonged to somebody beneath you?""
Darius's expression hardened.
"You're letting your personal problems cloud your judgment.""
"My personal problems started when you stepped into my relationship and told me to read the room.""
"Maybe because the room was telling you something you refused to accept.""
The words came out before Darius could stop them.
Nia turned sharply toward him.
"What does that mean?""
Darius looked at her.
"Nothing.""
"No. You said it for a reason.""
She took a step back, studying him with an expression Marcus had never seen on her face before.
For the first time, Nia seemed unsure of the man beside her.
Marcus almost felt sorry for her.
Almost.
He had spent years defending Nia whenever somebody questioned her intentions. He had insisted that she was ambitious, not selfish; stressed, not cruel; independent, not ungrateful. Even when her behavior hurt him, he found explanations that protected the image he had created of her.
He wasn't going to do that anymore.
"Tell her," Marcus said.
Darius shook his head.
"Tell her what?""
"Why you were interested in my company before you started showing up everywhere she went.""
Nia froze.
"Everywhere I went?""
Darius turned toward her.
"Don't listen to him. He's angry, and he's trying to drag me into this because you rejected his proposal.""
Marcus's fingers curled at his sides.
"Don't use my proposal to hide what you're doing.""
"Enough!"" Nia snapped.
Both men turned toward her.
She looked at Marcus first.
"You don't get to turn my graduation into an investigation because I don't want to marry you.""
The statement hurt, but Marcus refused to let it distract him.
"You're right. You don't owe me marriage. You never did.""
Her expression shifted slightly.
"But you don't get to tell me that six years meant nothing and then expect me to pretend I don't see what's happening in front of me.""
He turned toward Darius.
"And you don't get to use her as a shield.""
A security officer approached from the main walkway, alerted by the gathering crowd. Before he could intervene, an older man in a charcoal overcoat stepped between two groups of graduates.
"What's happening here?""
Darius went pale.
Marcus recognized him from the investment documents.
Richard Cole.
Darius's father.
Richard was a prominent investor whose name appeared on the firm's public website and several business publications. He looked from his son to Marcus, then noticed the paperwork in Marcus's hand.
His expression changed.
"Darius," he said slowly, "why is Mr. Reed showing you that document?""
Darius straightened his jacket.
"Dad, this isn't the place.""
Richard ignored him.
He extended a hand toward Marcus.
"You're Reed Digital Solutions?""
"Yes, sir.""
"I'm Richard Cole. My firm has been reviewing your company's materials.""
"I know.""
Richard glanced at his son.
"Then perhaps somebody should explain why my son appears to be involved in a private business discussion that he was specifically instructed not to influence.""
Darius's mouth fell open.
"Dad—"
Richard raised one hand.
"Not another word.""
The command silenced him.
Marcus looked between them, suddenly aware that the situation was larger than he had understood.
Richard turned back to him.
"Mr. Reed, I owe you an explanation. Our firm received information suggesting your company might be available for acquisition. We were told the principal owner was considering a sale.""
"I've never considered selling.""
Richard's eyes narrowed.
"That's not what our preliminary report says.""
Marcus felt his stomach tighten.
"Who told you that?""
Richard looked toward Darius.
His son stared at the pavement.
Nia stepped away from him.
"Darius, what have you done?""
Darius didn't answer.
Richard took the printed inquiry from Nia and read it carefully.
"This document indicates that somebody requested access to confidential company information on the basis of a potential ownership transition.""
He looked at Marcus.
"Did you authorize anyone to represent you?""
"No.""
"Did you sign a letter of intent?""
"No.""
Richard's expression became grim.
"Then we may have a serious problem.""
Marcus stared at the man.
The pain of Nia's rejection still burned inside him, but another feeling was beginning to take its place.
Anger.
Not the explosive kind that made a person lose control. This was colder, steadier, and far more useful.
Somebody had attempted to negotiate around him, perhaps even to sell something he owned without his permission.
And somebody close enough to know about his company had supplied information that made the attempt possible.
Marcus looked at Darius.
"Now we're going to find out who thought I wasn't important enough to ask.""
Darius lifted his head, his face suddenly hard.
"You have no idea what you're getting into.""
Marcus met his stare.
"Maybe not.""
He closed the folder.
May you like
"But I'm going to find out.""
And as the security officer finally dispersed the crowd, Marcus understood that the woman who had broken his heart might not be the only person who had underestimated him.
